*Trigger Warning – violence against women*

Collective Shout’s WA State coordinator was asked for comment about Chris Brown and Rihanna for OK magazine.

Despite R&B singer Chris Brown having brutally beaten pop star Rihanna in 2009, the pair appear to have resumed their relationship. Caitlin tells OK magazine that the emphasis needs to be on Chris Brown. He and other perpetrators of violent crime should be held accountable for their actions.

The night Chris Brown beat Rihanna, he punched her in the face to the point that her mouth filled with blood. He put her in a headlock causing her to begin to lose consciousness. He bit her. He screamed at her “I’m going to beat the shit out of you when we get home.” This was a vicious attack by an animal.

A few years on, Rihanna has forgiven him and continued a relationship with her abuser. Rihanna is a woman and should have the freedom to make her own relationship choices regardless of what anyone else things – however, given her large fan base, what she does means something. Whether or not Rihanna wants to be a role model for her young fans, it is undeniable that they look up to her to know how to be attractive, how to be sexy and how to be a woman.

Of course, survivors of violence have often been subjected to psychological pressure and can be vulnerable to returning to their abusers. The emphasis needs to be on the abuser, though – perpetrators need to be held responsible for their actions. Chris Brown is yet to accept responsibility for his behaviour, as showcased by his Twitter feed and incessant complaining about the public’s inability to forgive his brutal attack.

Caitlin Roper is WA’s State Co-ordinator for Collective Shout – campaigning for a world free of sexploitation

One Response to ““It’s not OK” – Caitlin Roper talks Chris Brown and violence against women”

Sadly this proves the immense male-centric pressure women are subjected to whenever they leave a violent male.

I’ve no doubt Rhianna was put under immense pressure by her publicity agents; manager and of course music industry, to present ‘a public face showing she has forgiven “naughty boy Chris Brown (sic) for subjecting her to trivial (sic) mundane male violence. Music industry is only concerned with profit and Rhianna is a disposable product; very useful to music industry and that is why malestream media also capitalises on portraying Rhianna as the ‘forgiving woman.’

Yes Rhianna has right to decide whether or not to return to violent male Brown, but she is not an ordinary woman, she is a woman malestream media constantly creates non-stories about. Rhianna returning to violent male Brown sends the powerful message to all women and girls that males who commit violence against women/girls are just ‘naughty boys women should constantly forgive’ – not violent controlling women-hating males.

Correct focus must be on the male perpetrators such as Chris Brown who arrogantly continues to believe he is the ‘victim’ not perpetrator. Chris Brown is profiting very well from his ‘bad boy image’ and it is an image – because reality is he is a nasty, controlling women-hating male who has no compunction about subjecting a woman to violence because she didn’t immediately submit to his demands.

By the way Chris Brown is not an animal – he is a human male who made the choice to commit violence against Rhianna because her sex is female and she did not show sufficient subservience to default human who is always male. Animals do not think to themselves ‘today I am going to physically attack that female animal over there because she hasn’t shown me sufficient respect.’

Animals do not engage in sadistic male violence against women – only men commit these crimes.

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